At the end of the sixth inning yesterday, Red Sox reliever Rich Garces made the Sign of the Cross as he walked from the mound to the dugout.

It was too late.

After entering a tie game, Garces allowed two homers in the Yankees’ six-run sixth. Following the 10-2 Red Sox loss yesterday, Boston manager Grady Little and GM Mike Port discussed what they should do with the struggling Garces.

If there is nothing physically wrong with the 31-year-old Garces, then asking him to go down to the minor leagues seems a possibility.

“We’re going to do some serious investigating in the near future,” Little said. “Real near.”

One of the differences between the Red Sox and Yankees is their bullpens. With Garces struggling and yesterday’s loser, Darren Oliver, unable to find the strike zone, the Yankees own a big edge, especially if Garces isn’t as good as he’s been the past few years.

“We need [Garces] for this team to succeed,” Sox catcher Jason Varitek said.

The numbers make Varitek’s point stronger. Despite owning no decisions, Garces’ ERA is 11.77 in 13 innings. The past three seasons, he is 19-3 with an ERA in the threes. Yesterday, Graces allowed four earned runs in one-third of an inning.

He entered a 2-2 game in the sixth. With two outs and two men on, his first pitch rammed into Derek Jeter’s back.

With the bases loaded, Garces, against Enrique Wilson, threw a curve and then a fastball for strikes. A pitch away, Graces returned to the curve. Wilson jacked it into the right-center field seats.

With the crowd noise from Wilson’s curtain call having barely dissipated, Bernie Williams singled and Jason Giambi crushed a ball into the upper deck in right. Giambi sent the Sox searching for answers about Garces’ health.